ext_193409 ([identity profile] vocalista001.livejournal.com) wrote in [personal profile] deltamiss 2008-10-11 12:45 am (UTC)

Pretty picture!

I've seen sward but never spoken it....until just now!

"Sward" reminds me of my son's heads a couple of days after they've shaved them up for a swim meet.

I was curious about the etymology of such a funny word:

sward
"grass-covered ground," O.E. sweard "skin, rind" (of bacon, etc.), from P.Gmc. *swarthu- (cf. O.Fris. swarde "skin of the head," M.Du. swarde "rind of bacon," Ger. Schwarte "thick, hard skin, rind," O.N. svörðr "walrus hide"). Meaning "sod, turf" developed c.1300, on notion of the "skin" of the earth (cf. O.N. grassvörðr, Dan. grønsvær "greensward").

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